Heater



Jan. 1, 1946.

A. w. FERRE HEATER Filed Feb. 26, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 1, 1946.

A. w. FERRE HEATER Filed Feb; 26, 1944 5 Sheet-Sheet s Q H f nv Patented Jan. 1, 1946 I Albert W. Ferre, Wellesley, Mass., assignor to B. F. Sturtevant Company, Boston, Mass.

Application February 26, 1944, Serial No. 524,082

2 Claims.

This invention relates to heaters and relates more particularly to heaters for heating dehydrated food prior to its being compressed.

This invention provides a rotary typeheater which isparticularly suitable for heating dehydrated food for placing it in condition for being compressed in a hydraulic press. A rotary table has mounted thereon a plurality of baskets for receiving, in succession, weighed quantities of. de

hydrated food. The drive for the table is controlled by the press so as to start rotation after a basket has dumped its contents into the press, so as to move a new basket in position for dumping. Each basket automatically dumps when in alignment with the press. A weighing machine dumps food into the baskets after they are rotated in aligmnent therewith. The press acts to stop rotation of the table when the baskets are loading and dumping. As the baskets are rotated between the loading and dumping stations, heated air is recirculated therethrough for heating the food contained therein. The rate of rotation of the table, and the velocity and temperatureof the air are so coordinated that the food is sufiiciently heated by the time it is dumped into the,

press." 7

, Objects of the invention are to preheat food so asto make it compressible and to accomplish this at high speed.

v Other objects of the invention are to reduce the size of, andthe attention required by, food heaters.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, of which:

Fig.1 is a side elevation of a heater embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the lines 2-2 of .Fig. 1;

. Fig. 3. is a sectional view :along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the lines 4-4 of Fi 1;

' Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in vertical section, of a' portion of the dryer;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in vertical section illustrating the supports for the rotary table and the basketsand is taken along the lines 6-6 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view along the lines 1-! of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the duct for discharging food from the weighing machine into the baskets.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the heater has the upper, horizontal, circular wall in with the duct ll extending therethrough but which otherwise is continuous. The duct supplies food fromthe weighing machine (not shown) into the baskets I2 which are'supported from the lower surface of the annular, rotary table I 3.

i The circular wall It is spaced below and arranged parallel to the wall I0 and with reference to Fig.2, has the circular perforations therethrough between the circular line I 6 and its outer edge and between the radial lines I! and 18 in a clockwise direction with respect to Fig. 2. It is not perforated between the lines l1 and IS in a contraclockwise direction with respect to Fig. 2.

The centrifugal fan 19 extends through the wall 14 at its center. The fan I9 is a conventional fan having an axial inlet passage at 20 and a radially extending, circumferential discharge passage at 2!, motor 22. v

The conventional finned, circular heater 23 is arranged between the walls I0 and I4 around the outlet 2| of the fan'l9.

The cylindrical wall 24 extends around the inlet 20 of the tan and is attached to the lower surface of the wall [4. The conventional filter blocks 25 which may contain steel or glass wool or other suitable filtering material, are arranged in pairs. forming Vs with the apices under the The fan is driven by the electric lower edge of the wall 24 as illustrated most clear-.

1y by Fig. 4; With this arrangement maximum filter surface for the space available, is provided. Thelower. wall 21 which also is circular, closes ofi the lower side of the unit and has theaccess door 26 for servicing. The food discharge hopper 28 extends through the wall 21 in alignment with theinlet of the hydraulic press 29. The unit is supported above the press 29 by the structural beams30.' w

,The rotary table I 3 is supported on the rollers 3| which in turn are supported for rotation, by the members 32 and 33 to the cylindrical wall 24 and the-cylindrical side wall 34 of the unit, respectively. The rack 35 extends around the outer portion of the table [3 and .on its upper surface and hasmeshed withits teeth, the teeth of the pinion gear 36 which is rotated by the 81801-- side. The rollers 41 rest on the horizontal surface 42 of the member 43 which is attached to the inner surface of the wall 34, when the table I3 is rotating the basket between unloadings. At the unloading station, the surface 42 terminates as illustrated by Fi 7 so that the bottom 39 swings downwardly to permit the contents of the basket to be discharged into the hopper 28. Then when the rotation oi the table I 3 is started again, by the vp'rss 2 91} the rollers 4| ride thecurve'd' Walls 44',"the uppefsulrfaces of whichen'ddn alignment with the horizontal surface 42 so that.

the bottoms 39 are automatically closed. A spad" corresponding to that occupied by one basket used for closing the basket'bottom so t table rotates through .two has ing the opening and closin' bottom. 1 1 7 As shown by Fig, 2, the loading duct H is spaced two baskets from the discharge "hopper" 2 ,J s-

03 he. e. L teammatesheater: A M me-: 5 in t .Iuweh tbgzba ket slzia th i wire mesh om fi a di rquah the filters .115. Conen iqna del neate pass es? m y-be used." for x fiimc s a ndiedmittin zma sep toathecircuitw 1 a o f dehydrated food-from;a;basket, and starts Tthe table to rotating I when? it, has received, theload,-

" so that when it is again ready to receivei a load;

th r ba ke i l; e in position jto dump; AS

V prev ously-described: 'the'basketsflump autqmati= cally when lined up with the' hopper'ziiz :Ihe; portion oflcthe wall; L4; the loading .an

7' llloauing aremsince not being-nperiOratedZFpre; vents thezescape of; any substantialivolumes 110i h ating air at the :loadingand-dumping stations: I gla imed jsi -2;- T: J f '1' Aheater comprising a housing having anupper,- :substant;ia lly horizontal' wallr'a 'sec fi'd,'"sub.'-' stant,iallywhorizontatwallsspaced? below. isai'daurff peri'fewalkg a lower a'substantially "horizontar wall;

spaced belowsaid'second wamanf annular? rotary tabler having acentrakopening'andzhavirig a phi; ,wsubstantially eduallyispace'd openings' licentral openingjimeans for support? irfg fsaidtrtableifor rotation betweeri said sond andgtz'lower wanszsa pmrauty' or rood repeivmg baskets attached to'the underside oi said*tabl'-in" aligiin'rent withissaid fequally spaced esi i l loading said baskets extending through said up.- per and second walls to a point adjacent said table, said baskets having .open tops and perforated bottoms, and means forming a discharge passage through said lower wall for food unloaded from said baskets, said discharge passage being so circumferentially spaced from said duct that when baskets are in alignment therewith, one basket is thereb etweenat the f unl ading and loadiilgsid of said haterfsaidfsecondiwall being imperforate over said discharge passage and over the space traversed by baskets moving between said discharge passage and duct after the baskets are unloaded, and having perforations My therein over the space traversed by baskets movng between said dut a-nd discharge passage after the baskets are loaded, whereby upon rotation of Saratasktetetweefisaid duct and said discharge passage after said baskets are loaded, said fan recirculates air through said heater, said periorat'io'ns' and: said baskets. "2IA heater" comprising a housing having an upper substantially horizontal wall, a se'cohd sub stain-tiallyjhorizontal(wall-spaced below? s'aidiippe1' "wa'1-l',? a lower substantially horizontal was spacedbelow'said secohd' wallgaii an'niilar, r0 ry tableh'aviiig" a central openi'rigland'l'favi a f; ralit ubstazitiany "equally spaced openings aroundisaid ce'ntral :b'pening; meansfor 11" in'g' sa'id ableforrotation be said upper an s' v extending be "wee'ir said; upper and s'ecijild 'w" 11";

cifcuir'ifferitially" around s'aid outlet, s duct 4' ka Av --k J- 1 M t table, sal bas "plur'ality-of 'ifilter tween said ietv er' wan afia said inlet tass'agefsa'ie forming a plurality of contacting but aidcijtr'al trading? aescriarge passage sa food unloaded from said basket passage penis iiet'infefntiau n Sara:duettest whefieasketsarenn an therewith, one bask s therebetwee t t loddiri'gfihdlb? M 0nd wall being i passage'-' and'overth p r moving between said discharge pass after metastases 'iiiiloaddfafid 'havrn cisrw ihs qe 

